Rant about American Beer

I never said American beers are weaker and I agree it is a myth.... I said there is Greater availability of Stronger varieties in Europe then in mainstream America which is True..................

If you go into a 7-11 you find Bud miller heineken etc.....
Some Malt liquor and Wine Coolers.........

In a convenience store in Europe there is agreater variety of different types of beer..........

Because there are more varieties brewed and enjoyed over there..........

Now we are all speaking in some generalizations but this is what I have seen in my experience...........

 

???

 

Which is also not true. I can go to just about any place that sells beer in the USA and pick up a Colt 45. which is around 6% alcohol by volume.

 

Great minds think alike.

 

Which is Malt liquor not technically Beer.............

 

Wrong again.

Malt liquor is beer.

 

You're from Boston and you think Sam Adams is the only good domestic beer ? Try some others...fast. In my opinion, Sam is only third best in the city.

Try Tremont Ale....number one in my book.
I like Harpoon better than Sam as well. Especially their IPA which has a distinctively different taste than a lager like Sam. Harpoon Summer is great if you like that lemon zest thingy.

Small trivial point - until recently Sam Adams wasn't even brewed in Boston. It was brewed in Pittsburgh by license to Iron City.

 

The scary thing is that photo seems to show a bottle of "Colt .45 Ice."

 

In fact, Malt Liquor is not beer. At least, not by the strict legal definition of the word. The alcohol content of Malt Liquor is so high, it cannot legally be called beer in some areas of the world. Including the U.S. of A.

link

As I said before it is Technically not beer.

 

Well, since you edited your response I'll reply to this version too.

The average alcohol percentage by volume for pilsner style beers, which is probably the most popular beer style in the world, is around 5%.

I've never seen an equivalent of a 7-11 style "convenience store" in Europe. I used to live there, and I've been back there since on a number of occassions. What I've seen on the shelves of grocery stores over there is pretty much a similar selection of beers as to what I've seen here.

As I pointed out in another reply in this thread, the variety of beers in America is far greater than the variety of beers in any given European country. Trying to find anything other than a lager, koelsch or alt in Germany is not that easy. Hell, trying to find a koelsch outside of Cologne or an alt outside of Duesseldorf is tough.

However, I can go to my favorite liquor store and find all of those. In fact, I can find also find Belgian, Czech, Italian, Dutch, Indian, American, Jamaican, French, Japanese, Chinese, Salvadoran, Mexican, and beers from LOTS of other countries in my local.

You need to get out more.

 

Malt liquor is technically beer. So is stout. So is ale.

I don't care what the legal definition of it is. It's beer. I know. I've made it myself.

 

I think Mr. Lastort would enjoy a trip to Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden in Astoria. Hell, most beer drinkers would.

I think the perception that Americans drink crap beer comes from the fact that there are far more consumers of beer in America than beer drinkers, i.e. people who look at beer as more than a cheap, not-too-intense way to get drunk.

Naturally, the big companies that can mass manufacture cheaper beer using lesser hops and water are going to sell more.

 

Wow, with all due respect, you really do not know what you are talking about.
I beg you to get out more often. In your state alone there are more breweries than there are in alot of places in Europe. And no, most Europeans don't enjoy "alot of varieties" of beer. At least not more than can be bought in any decent sized city in the US. In fact many areas generally stick to a couple of styles as they are either required by law, or the people have drank them for 100's if not 1,000's of years. For instance Germany, not very big on Ales period. In Cologne there is a wonderful Ale brewed by tradition called a Kolsch but the majority of your beers from Germany are lagers. It is normal for European breweries to stick to 1 - 4 beers (and four is alot). Alot of times it is the very same beer but with Black Patent, Chocolate malt, or Caraf malt thrown in to change the color. In example (Hefeweisen vs. Dunkelweisen) Same beer differnt color, some slight changes in aroma or mouthfeel but essentially a Wheat Beer. The US the majority of breweries brew between 5-20 different styles let alone different forms of those styles. Granted their football myan be older and more popular than ours, but the variety of brews is far superior in the US, seriously.

 

The mass production of what some of us refer to as crap beer actually began during the second world war. As a large majority of men were over seas, and product became insanely expensive the 10,000 plus breweries that thrived in the US at the time started shutting down at a massive rate and started opening ...bakeries.

It was cheaper and easier to add adjuncts like rice hulls and corn to beer to lighten the body and for adding some fermentables cheaply, not to mention their market at the time were women working in factories and warehouses that usually didn't drink as much as the men (no dis to women at all, it isn't your fault Budweiser exists ). When the US was forming Irish brewed their styles, Germans theirs, etc etc so the variety back then was strong. WW2 killed most of all that off.

 

Ok so I guess I don't know as much as you do on the history of Beer...

I guess I should be taken out back and shot for that crime,.....
.
I don't drink Beer as much as other things and my being incorrect in this thread has nothing to do with getting my out.....Seriously...

 

The Schlitz brewery near Reading, PA also produced Sam Adams for awhile.

 

No you shouldn't be taken out back and shot. We should take you out for a tour of the fine breweries in your state!

Start here. Sadly alot of them are shutting down, hurry go give them your business!

 

You buying??????

 

Sh!t not in NYC!

 

Oh, and Old Lady Hertha when you become of legal drinking age, please to show repentance for your sins against American Beer go here, then go out and get some much needed beer culture.

Trust me soon you are going to re read this thread of yours and kick yourself in the a$$.